Peace activists get a hearing with Delahunt

HYANNIS — Nearly three years after being arrested for refusing to leave his office, a group of Cape Cod activists once again crossed the threshold into U.S. Rep. William Delahunt's Cape Cod headquarters.

By KAREN JEFFREY

capecodtimes.com

By KAREN JEFFREY

Posted Jan. 12, 2010 at 2:00 AM

By KAREN JEFFREY

Posted Jan. 12, 2010 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

HYANNIS — Nearly three years after being arrested for refusing to leave his office, a group of Cape Cod activists once again crossed the threshold into U.S. Rep. William Delahunt's Cape Cod headquarters.

But this time, members of Cape Codders for Peace and Justice were there by invitation.

Yesterday Delahunt met with about 18 people from the group and several other area peace organizations.

Their objective was to persuade Delahunt to vote against supplemental war funding, something on which Delahunt has not yet taken a position. And he is unlikely to do so in the immediate future, said Mark Forest, the congressman's chief of staff, before yesterday's meeting.

In March 2006, on the third anniversary of the Iraq war, members of the same activist group went to Delahunt's office seeking his promise to support a House bill that prohibited the use of funds to deploy U.S. forces to Iraq — 2005 House Resolution 4232.

Several of them were charged with trespassing after they sat down and refused to leave the office until Delahunt met with them.

Delahunt, who was not there at the time, spoke with them by telephone, but refused to sign a pledge supporting the resolution, a bill co-signed by U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., which died in committee. The charges were later dropped when Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe opted not to prosecute.

"At some point the (Obama) administration will come before Congress seeking supplemental funds" for the war, Forest said. "The congressman is meeting with a number of groups, including those who are serving in the military, and listening to what they all have to say. He will let everyone make their case before reaching a decision."

Diane Turco, with Cape Codders for Peace and Justice, said yesterday's meeting, which lasted more than an hour, went well. Delahunt did not take a final stance but agreed to hold a public forum sometime in March discussing the issue of supplemental war funding, she said.

"We have to start looking at priorities in this country," Turco said, adding that funds used for war could instead be used domestically in fields such as education and health care. It could also be used to help develop communities in Afghanistan and elsewhere she said.

"This is a failed policy," she said. "We as citizens need to start taking some action."